Card holder



Patented Aug. 7, 1951 UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to card holders for a variety of uses, such as garden, plant" and merchandise markers.

An object of the present invention is to provide a holder for tags, cards, tablets, booklets and like flat members which has a snap-retention engagement with such members facilitating assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holder which embodies novel snap-retention means for tags or the like and which means is also usable for hanging the holder for convenient storage thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holder, as indicated, which is adjustable or extensible to accommodate tags or the like varying in size.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder of the character indicated which embodies novel and improved means for supporting the same in desired position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved card holder which is advantageously formed of wire to be inexpensive yet effective for the purposes intended.

Fig. 9 is a side view of a modification of the mounting and support means.

My invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, con- .venient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and

of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes embodiments of the present invention, which are given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a front view of a cord holder embodying the present invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are similar views of alternate forms of holders.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are enlarged side views of alternate forms of snap-retention means for the card, Fig. 4 being somewhat in perspective and showing the means embodied in the form of Fi 1.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged front view of snap-retention means which embodies adjustability for varying heights of cards.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the mounting and support portion of the holder shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 10 is a bottom view of still another modification.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a modified form of extending portion of the holder.

The card holder which is illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises, generally, means [5 for engaging the opposite lower corners, of a card C, means l6 having snap-retention engagement with the middle upper portion of said card, means ll inter-connecting the means I5 and I6 and providing for adjustment therebetween to accommodate cards varying in height, an elongated standard or shank l8, and mounting and support means I9 formed at the lower end of the shank.

The cruciform holder shown in Fig. 1 is made of a single length of suitably rigid yet bendable and flexible wire. The means l5 comprises a laterally extending wire part 20 which terminates at its ends in depressed seats or recesses 2! which serve to receive the lower edge of a card as shown. A curved wire portion 22 extends upwardly from each seat 2| and has a return bend at 23 for engaging the opposite sides of said cards. A similarly curved wire portion 24 is arranged in spaced parallel relation to each portion 22 to form a slit receptive of the lower corners of the card. From one portion 24, the wire is extended parallel to the wire part 20, as at 25, and then wrapped about said part, as at a joint 26, and extended downwardly to form the shank l8. Similarly, the other wire portion 24 has an extension 21 parallel to the part 20 which has a wrap 28 about the latter part, and extends upwardly to form the means 11. The wire parts 20 and 21 on one side, and 20 and 25 on the other, together with the respective seats 21, bends 23 and curved wire portions 22 and 24, comprise oppositely directed lateral portions for receiving the lower corners of a card.

. The means l6 (also shown in Fig. 4) comprises a loop 28 which is formed from the upper end of a wire part 29 extending from the means I! and has a rearwardly and laterally directed inwardly bent part 30 that terminates in a transverse portion 3I. The loop has flexibility and is capable of being flexed by an upward force on the part 3| or by camming engagement with theupper edge of the card C.

The means I! comprises laterally directed reversely bent wire parts 32 connecting the part 29 and a wire part 33 extending from the wrap 28*.

The shank 3 comprises a downwardly directed extension from joint 26, is generally straight and at its lower end, and is formed with the means [9. As also seen in Fig. 11, said means 19 comprises a generally circular loop of wire 34 arranged to one side of the shank and extended to pass over the bend 35 between the shank and the wire loop 34. The wire is then extended at 36 toward the center of the loop and formed as an eye 31 for a wood screw 38 or the like. The card holder above described thus comprises a cruciform member that has the middle joint 25 from which laterally extend portions that engage the bottom edge and side edges of a card, from which upwardly extends a portion that engages the middle of the upper part of said card, and from which downwardly extends the shank IB, the latter terminating in the support means [9.

The holder above described is used in the following manner. Its means 19 is placed against a horizontal surface '39 and :the screwi38 applied to fix the holder in place. It will be noted that while the shank is generally vertical, it may be bent to a desired angle Without distorting the means l8 because of the overlap at the bend 35.

By roughening the under face of the -loop 34 as at 40, assurance is had that the device will not shift nor turn after being secured in place. A card is then placed with its lower corners in the seats 2| as laterally guided by the bends 23 and the top of the card is snapped into place beneath the loop 28. By spreading or contracting the means ll, cards varying widely in height may be accommodated as indicated. When not in use, the holder can be stored by hanging the same from its loop 28.

The holder above described is also adapted to hold a book or music sheets since the pages thereof can be readily turned by slipping the same from between the curved portions 22 and 24, at

one side, and tucking them into the similar slit on the other side.

The holder maybe widely varied within the concepts of the invention. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the means [5 may be modified to provide angularly directed wire parts Al and lateral extensions 42 which are the respective counterparts of the described parts 24 and 22. The seats 2| and bends 23 are as before disclosed. Other variations are possible. As shown in'Fig. 3, the holder can be made of one length of wire to form the means l5 and the shank I8 and a second length having a loop-0r wrap 43 engaged with the middle of the part 20 and having the means l6 formed onits upper end.

The means [6 may be variously modified. As shown in Fig. 5, it may comprise a forwardly and downwardly bent loop 44 and as shown in Fig. 6, a forwardly and upwardly bent loop 45. Each form, however, is provided with a portion 45 having snap-retention engagement with the card C. Fig. 7 shows a modification in which the means [6 and I! are combined. To this end a helical coil 41 is formed on the upper end of the wire part 29 so that the same can be uncoiled, as desired, to accommodate the card to be held.

. The means [1, also can be varied. As shown in Fig. 10, a flattened helical formation 48 formed between the wire parts 29 and 33 provides for adiustability of the holder. The helix is, of course, laterally directed.

As shownin Fig. 2, the means I9 maybe arranged coplanar with the shank IB for securement to a surface 49 at right angles to the surface 39. As-seen in Fig. 8, the "eye 3-! may be 4 omitted and a prong point 50, either plain or threaded, may be substituted. A simple laterally directed reversely bent loop 5| may replace the loop 34 as seen in Fig. 9, or the shank may merely be straight as in Fig. 3 for ready insertion in soft material such as earth, clay, etc.

Another modification entails reinforcement of the shank [8. As in Fig. 3, said reinforcement comprises the twisting together of parallel lengths of wire extending downwardly from each side of the means I5 to form a relatively still helical part 52.

The wraps 26 and 28 of Fig. 1, their counterpart43 of Fig. 3 and the inter-engaged loops 53 of Fig. 2, serve to obviate distorting separation of the means [,5 and I6 dm'ing use and during application or removal of a card.

As mentioned, any of the forms of holders herein described are adapted to accommodate books or the like. In this connection, the form of .Figs. ,1 and 4 may be reversed front to back, to bring the inwardly bent part .30 and the transverse portion SI to the front side of the wire part 29. By this arrangement, said portion 3| serves to engage the upper middle of the book instead of the portion 46 of loop 28. The term card in this specification and in the claims is intended to include such other flat elements such as boards, tags, etc., that may be mounted in the holders herein disclosed.

While I have illustrated and .described what I now regard as the preferred embodiments of my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit and scope ,of my invention. 1, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to the particular forms of construction illustrated and described, but desire to avail myself of all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A holder for a card comprising laterally directed and joined card engaging portions, said portions being aligned and disposed oppositely to each other, a vertically directed card engagil'ig portion-terminating at the top in a vertically disposed resilient loop having snap-retention engagement with the top edge of the card, an aligned vertically directed support shank, and a single joint interconnecting said laterally directed card engaging portion, the vertically directed card engaging portion, and said shank whereby the same are arranged in non-separating cruciform shape, said vertical card engagingportion being provided with an integral extensible portion comprising reversely bent portions of wire residing in the general plane of the cruciform-shaped holder.

2. In a card holder having horizontally disposed means to engage the lower edge portions of a card, a resilient loop disposed in a vertical plane transverse to the plane of the card and resiliently engaged with the upper edge of said card, and an integral extension connecting said loop and said horizontally disposed means.

3. In a card holder having horizontally disposed means to engage the lower edge portions of a card, a resilient loop disposed in a vertical plane transverse to the plane of the card and resiliently engaged with the upper edge of said card, and an integral extension connecting said loop and said horizontally disposed means, said extension comprising a length of wire formed to have reversely bent portions disposed in a-plane 5 parallel to and immediately rearward of the card, said portions being adjustable to vary the length of the extension.

4. In a card holder having horizontally disposed means to engage the lower edge portions of a card, a resilient loop disposed in a vertical plane transverse to the plane of the card and resiliently engaged with the upper edge of said card, a rearwardly extending portion on the free end of the loop and constituting means adapted to be manually flexed to effect flexing of the loop, and an integral extension connecting said loop and said horizontally disposed means.

LOUIS CLARK.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,058,882 McCauley Apr. 15, 1913 1,123,151 Washburn Dec. 29, 1914 1,410,402 Gray Mar. 21, 1922 10 1,738,892 Gray Dec. 10, 1929 1,954,696 Gender Apr. 10, 1934. 2,143,343 Cooper Jan. 10, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 15 Number Country Date 8,805 Great Britain of 1899 25.034 Great Britain of 1901 

